It is common for stores to display sample products for viewing, examination, and/or testing by a customer and to provide information about those products. In many instances, the display is open and allows the customer to pick up and examine the product. These types of product displays are typical for cosmetics and similar items.
In a conventional display, a customized counter display is prepared to hold a predefined set of products. The products are arranged on an acrylic template, such as a stand, and that typically has cut-outs or pre-printed placement guides into which products can be placed. A printed paper insert or similar graphic element can be provided to fit in or be disposed adjacent to the template for aesthetic reasons and also as a medium on which to present information about the displayed products. When the store updates their product lines, new holder kits often need to be shipped to the store before the change is finalized, a process referred to as a unit update. Also, if the store wants to change the unit graphic material, they often need to send new printed material to change the static visual in the store. More substantive changes may require design of a completely new counter display unit.
An alternative to static information systems is a digital screen which can be used to display product information in an interactive manner. In some systems, products are displayed on one or more shelves or platforms. The products are placed in specified locations according to a predefined planogram. Sensors are used to detect when a customer interacts with a displayed product. For example, an infrared touch frame can be used to detect when an object, such as a product or customer's hand, breaks one or more IR light beams and where this interaction occurred. A camera or other sensor can be used to detect when a customer interacts with an item on display. When such user interaction is detected, information about the particular product assigned to the location of the interaction can be presented.
Other systems allow more flexible product placement by using an RFID or NFC tag or a printed 1D or 2D bar code on the product so that the product itself can be identified using a tag reader or bar code reader. For example, a customer picking up a product can pass it in front of a reader and the system would then display information according to the product data captured by the reader.
Alternatively, the product can be mounted on a special base with properties that can be used to identify the product. One approach used in the context of infrared frames is to mount the product on a special acrylic puck or podium. Each podium has a unique IR reflection pattern. Infrared emitters are positioned by the product display. When a user interacts with a product, the system identifies the reflection pattern and uses that pattern to determine which product is being moved. In another known solution, a product podium with a unique pattern of magnetic or physical bumps on the bottom is used. The pattern of bumps can be detected when the podium is placed on a touchscreen, such as by detecting changes in magnetic field or altered capacitance.
While adding tags or using specific podiums may allow a product to be reliably identified, such changes impact the visual appeal and aesthetics of a product. They may also be difficult to implement. For example, some products do not have a suitable location to place an easy to scan bar code. Many cosmetics and similar product containers have a lot of metal and this can interfere with the ability to read an RF tag placed on or within the container. In addition, if a sample is lost and needs to be replaced from stock, it may be difficult for a floor sales associate to find the proper tag or bar code sticker and apply it properly, or to locate a correct replacement podium and attach the product to it. The floor sales associate may instead decide to defer replacement of the sample product or might not even learn that a sample was removed and not replaced by a customer, leaving an empty display which may in turn deter customer inquiry.
Accordingly, there is a need for a smart counter display system that can detect and identify a product placed on a platform base without requiring that the product be placed in a predefined location and without requiring that the product be physically altered, such as by the addition of tags, bar codes or other indicia, or using special bases or reflectors. There is a further need for such a system that can dynamically interact with customers who express an interest in a given displayed product. There is another need for a smart counter display system that will produce alerts when conditions such as a missing display product exist so that they can be quickly remedied.
There is a further need for brand label companies and other companies that market consumer packaged goods to be able to easily track key performance indicators and other data related to product sales and to be able to quickly and easily discern the impact of changes in information presented to customers at a counter display has on sales and interaction by the customer with the products.